It showed learners how they could learn English. It went through two main methods that they could apply to their learning and how to commit to a long-term plan.

Those who followed the course this saw great results. However, the majority refund requests focused on the lack of materials.

They liked the method but wanted downloadable materials made for them.

This is what I decided to do in March:

rerecord the entire course

include a pronunciation section with downloadable audio

create flashcards that went with the lessons

relaunch it and promote it on social media, YouTube, and to my email list

It was a big task but one that I felt was necessary at the time.

It turned out to be a big success. The relaunch went to plan and the feedback I’ve received has been fantastic.

After the relaunch, it was time to put my focus back on YouTube.

However…

MOVING HOUSE IS A BIG DEAL!

Last summer, we moved house.

This took over our lives for 2-3 months.

I won’t go into detail, but we ran into several difficulties that took up large parts of my day leading up to the purchase. Packing is no joke. It takes hours and hours. Unpacking too. One day was spent taking down, transporting, and reassembling the trampoline.

Our kids take up our mornings, evenings, and weekends. Therefore, the time I had to do all this was during work hours.

So, for 2-3 months, I was averaging 10-15 hour workweeks.

When this happens, it’s easy to lose a little motivation. I also got into cryptocurrencies at this time and found myself researching new coins instead of making videos.

My YouTube channel took a dive over spring and summer.

Here is a picture that shows this.

Watchtime peaked in February but went down as I created my new course and moved house.

I made quick videos because I felt like I had to get something out there.

But I wasn’t excited about making these videos and it showed.

The momentum I had earlier in the year died out.

I didn’t panic, however. This had happened before. I’ve gone through periods where I wasn’t fully motivated. My mind was elsewhere.

Once things with the house started settling down – and my son went back to school! – it all came back. With a vengeance!

SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER: YOUTUBE TIME

While I was brainstorming my course at the start of the year, I was killing the YouTube game.

As you saw, watch time exploded.

But with so much time spent on my new program – and with the hectic summer – I lost a lot of momentum.

In September, I did the following:

got excited about growing my YouTube channel again

researched the best ways to do this

consciously made my videos better

promoted them

I looked at what I was doing and upped my game.

Here is a video I made on this:

I made my videos longer (great for watch time). I increased the quality. I kept users on YouTube by suggesting other videos instead of constantly talking about my book. I went through past videos and changed thumbnails to make them more clickable.

In fact, one of the videos that got a facelift – a video I recorded in 2014 – has started to gain a lot of traction.

The changes I made worked. I’m very close to getting back to the highs I achieved in February last year.

However…

I GOT SICK & THIS GAVE ME A REALIZATION

We decided to spend the holidays in Manchester last year.

Leading up to this, I was realistic about how much I could get done before, during, and after this vacation.

I ended up getting sick and wasn’t able to do anything for 7 weeks. Again, I lost some momentum with my YouTube channel and in general.

In the weeks leading up to going away, I recorded 8 videos so that I could release them gradually.

This helped greatly and leads me to my first goal: to get ahead with videos.

I’ve always shied away from this as I like to introduce continuity; to tell stories and create open loops. But having videos that I consistently post is more important.

So, that’s goal number one.

Before I talk about the rest of my goals, let’s change pace.

WHAT I BOUGHT IN 2017:

I didn’t get much last year. The year before, I got new cameras, new software, the whole shebang.

I am very impressed with the post and the help it gives I am on Year 1 of starting an online business and as yet my focus has been on content and getting experience in making video and audio – monetizing comes later yes

I started this blog in May 2013 to help other teachers take control of their teaching and income by moving online.
It's been a wonderful experience thus far and there have been many success stories. The good news is: we're just getting started.
Click here to start your journey.